Updates from November, 2023 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Kate 21:36 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

    A Pro-Israel demonstration was held at Concordia on Thursday evening.

    Some Jewish students are mounting a class‑action suit against the university for not doing enough against antisemitism.

     
  • Kate 21:30 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

    A large crowd has gathered near the Cartier monument to say farewell to Karl Tremblay of the Cowboys Fringants.

     
    • Kate 20:54 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

      The CAQ’s decision to keep drivers’ licences cheap is seen by some as a cut at public transit money.

       
      • jeather 21:52 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

        Of all the costs of driving, the driver’s license fee is probably the smallest. What a weird cut.

      • Kate 11:07 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        A 24Hres writer comments on the decision and the CAQ’s higher regard for drivers than for users of public transit.

      • Bert 12:09 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        Hold on, the SAAQ is a Crown Corporation, so should be at arms-length of the government, like Hydro, and interestingly also Société de transport de Montréal. The linked article lists that coffers are full because we are generally driving less (thanks again C-19!) and thus claims are down. Is it not fair that insurance premiums follow global claims levels and tenancies?

        The insurance premiums are the basis of the driver license fees. What the article completely seems to miss (ignore?) is that the license renewal fees are related to demerit points and that the lowest rates are for people with zero (0) demerit points. It goes up from there. See the link below. Also, what the article seems to COMPLETELY miss is that there are no earmarked funds for public transit on ANY of the license renewal levels, be it by class or demerit point level.

        Public transit IS funded through registering a vehicle and generally by operating a vehicle, with the exception of pure electric vehicles, and other vehicles that don’t require registration to circulate on public roads.

        I am no supporter of the CAQ, but calling them out in this case seems to me to be incomplete, incorrect , short sighted the least, if not blatantly false. One could possibly say “you get what you pay for” in regards to the 24H reporting.

        License renewal
        https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/saaq/rates-fines/drivers-licence/cost-renewing

        Registration renewal
        https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/saaq/rates-fines/vehicle-registration/comparative-tables/passenger-vehicles

      • Ian 14:49 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        Are you sure about that?
        According to https://www.quebec.ca/gouvernement/ministere/transports/organigramme the SAAQ reports directly to the ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable …

      • Ian 14:52 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        Also Éric Duscharme is the CEO of the SAAQ –
        “Éric Ducharme was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of the SAAQ by the Québec government on April 5, 2023.” (my bold)

        https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/saaq/governance-administrative-structure/president-chief-executive-officer

      • Bert 15:06 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        The SAAQ *IS* a crown corporation, so just like any others they are arms-length. Yes, of course, the CEO / C-Suite will get appointments from the current government, so there will be a penchant one way or another. But still not under the direct control. Just like Hydro, the SAQ, it is not directly controlled by the government, etc.

      • Kate 15:07 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        All I know is that it was by fiat that the fee was radically reduced during the pandemic because so many people were finding it difficult to get appointments to pay the fee. The CAQ’s just keeping it going as a lagniappe.

      • Blork 15:39 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        I’m pretty sure the fee drop happened before the pandemic. Not 100% sure, but I thought it was 5+ years ago, and the reason was entirely (or so they said) due to fewer accidents and thus overflowing insurance coffers.

        But here’s the thing: there’s “driver’s license” and there’s “driving.” Many people have a driver’s license but hardly ever drive. It’s a useful document, and driving is a useful skill that some people only use when they go on vacation once a year and rent a car or whatever.

        I don’t see the point in using driver’s LICENSE fees to fund public transit. Any “use tax” (or whatever you want to call it) should come from ACTUAL DRIVING, meaning vehicle registrations, car rentals, fuel taxes, etc.

        Just having a license to do something shouldn’t be seen as some kind of opportunity for cash-grabbing. There’s nothing inherently wrong, or polluting, or dangerous about simply possessing a license.

      • James 17:50 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        When you register your car each year you pay a “public transit contribution” plus an additional “vehicle registration tax”. For practically everyone in the CMM, you pay 89$ per car per year. Does all this money go to pay for public transit? I hope so…

        https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/saaq/rates-fines/vehicle-registration/cost-renewal/passenger-vehicles/contribution-public-transit

      • Ian 18:00 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

        There’s a 3 cent per litre tax on gas, ostensibly to fund public transit. I’m sure that adds up to way more than license fees.

    • Kate 16:58 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

      A man was charged with second-degree murder in the death of a homeless man near Place‑des‑Arts metro in September, reported in this piece at the time. No name has ever been given for the victim.

       
      • Kate 09:52 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

        Bixi bikes equipped with studded tires and anti-slip pedals are being made available as of Thursday and will be present all winter for the first time as an experiment.

         
        • Meezly 10:00 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          I noticed the studs when I rode a Bixi on Tuesday – a great initiative and hope it’ll be a success.

        • Joey 10:27 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          This is a great and somewhat overdue initiative, but there’s a bit of a critical planning mistake – seasonal memberships expired at midnight last night, meaning the only way you can use a winter Bixi is by paying $1.25 for a one-way pass (plus $0.15/minute) or a monthly membership ($20 for 30 days). Given that this is a pilot focused on uncovering demand, revealing user habits, etc., creating a minor but annoying barrier to entry that will only generate extremely modest revenue is a mistake. Bixi should have just extended seasonal memberships until next spring, or to at least Dec. 31 to encourage users to try out the winter cycling offering.

          At the very least, given the great weather Bixi ought to have extended the season by a few days anyway…

        • DeWolf 10:42 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          I agree with Joey, if it’s a pilot project it feels like a bit of a risk to pay $20 for something you might not end up using.

          Also worth noting that for the first time, classic and electric Bixis will remain available in the winter zone for some days to come. I hope next year the regular season can be extended to December 1 because even in late November, it’s rare that we have many days that would require the fully winterized Bixis.

          As Meezly noted the winter Bixis have been around for at least a week, they’ve slowly been adding them to the system. I tried one out last Thursday when we had that wet, heavy and very slippery snow. The studded tires were great! Smooth sailing through the snow whereas the regular Bixis slid around quite a bit.

        • Meezly 10:50 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          I completely forgot that annual memberships ended last night. Totally agree that Bixi should have given subscribers a free trial for a pilot project. Even an extension until Dec 15 would’ve been great.

        • Kate 13:32 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          I agree – if they want to coax people to try out the winter bikes, they should have extended the membership.

      • Kate 09:41 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

        Montreal’s Muslim and Jewish communities are both facing a rise in hate crimes and hate incidents (the distinction is not defined) since that war broke out.

         
        • bob 17:05 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

          When emotions run high you get to see what people are really about.

      • Kate 09:39 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

        The Journal puts it this way: closing Roxham Road was futile as requests for asylum hit a record in September at Trudeau airport.

         
        • Kate 09:35 on 2023-11-16 Permalink | Reply  

          A demonstration in support of Palestine blocked the Jacques-Cartier Thursday morning and is only dispersing as I type.

           
          • JaneyB 16:47 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

            Reminds me of the infamous blocking of the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto by Tamils to protest the situation back home. Years later, that is still a reference for bad protest strategies. I assume these folks are similarly unfamiliar with Canadian-style passive-aggression. This gesture will certainly decrease toleration for immigration from the Middle East. Not a win, especially since we already have plenty of news coverage of the complicated situation over there.

          • MarcG 17:12 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

            I don’t believe the goal of this kind of action is to win public favour, but rather to pressure the government to act, because any disruption to “normal” is deadly to the economy and that’s really all they care about.

          • bob 18:34 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

            Nothing they can do has an effect on the economy. They can annoy people, that’s about it. Their motivations are not tactical but psychological.

          • MarcG 20:10 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

            If all of those people stuck in traffic doesn’t have an effect on the economy somebody should inform them that they’re useless and are better off staying in bed. I’d be interested to hear more about your theory, though (not being sarcastic).

          • bob 21:17 on 2023-11-16 Permalink

            It is a blip. So you delay some people – so what? Where is the loss? They do it for the attention, because they think the attention itself is a win.

          • MarcG 11:19 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

            “We were really struck by the contradiction between what the public and media say about disruptive protests and what academics said. The experts who study social movements not only believe that strategic disruption can be an effective tactic, but that it is the most important tactical factor for a social movement’s success.” Interesting article in the Guardian.

          • Blork 11:31 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

            Given that the protest is for something happening elsewhere, to other people, it makes little sense to protest in a way that causes strife among the people who live here. The objective should be to GET US ALL ON BOARD, not to DIVIDE US. Working to divide the local population instead of to unite us is just stupid beyond words and counter-productive to what should be your goals.

            And it’s not just a bit of inconvenience for some people driving to work. People cross that bridge for all sorts of reasons, including medical appointments, deliveries (both trivial and vital), etc. And it’s not just the unwashed suburbanites coming to defile your pristine and perfectly denisifited utopian city; the amount of traffic going the other way is significant (people going TO the south shore in the morning and into the city in the evening).

            Maybe it’s a blip for “bob” but I’ll bet it wasn’t a blip for that woman who missed her medical appointment that she’s been waiting eight months for. Not a blip for that single parent trying to deliver the kids to the other spouse on time for them to also get to work on time and not get fired. Not a blip for that landscaper delivering that one rare thing to a job site in Boucherville where the entire on-site team can’t start their day of work until he arrives with it. Not a blip for that writer who has one shot at pitching their script idea and who is running late because of family problems at home.

            If you’re protesting people using the bridge, then sure, block the bridge. But if you’re protesting something on the other side of the planet, how about trying to UNITE people in your cause instead of distracting everyone by creating local in-fighting?

          • Blork 11:51 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

            BTW, I’m not saying people shouldn’t protest. Large turnouts at parks and city squares, yes. Marches? Sure thing. Blocking bridges for something that has nothing to do with the bridge or people who use the bridge? Bad idea.

          • MarcG 16:49 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

            The quote I already posted from the article is a pretty apt response to both bob and Blork’s ‘public’ opinions but here’s another for good measure: “Disruption of everyday life is often the best way to receive media attention, generate visibility for a cause and above all to push political and economic elites to compromise and accept change, if only to protect their own interests.”

          • Blork 18:45 on 2023-11-17 Permalink

            MarcG, that makes sense when dealing with local issues where you want to get the attention of local people and local politicians. But the war in Gaza isn’t a local issue; the only “change” we can hope for is that Trudeau will make angry sounds at Israel. Local protests will not have any direct affect on the war. The protests and marches are more about expressing our disapproval of the war than it is about realistically expecting any change to happen.

            What MIGHT help is if the marches and protests have very large turnouts and if such turnouts happen around the world. So how do you ensure large turnouts?

            I’m not sure, but here’s a guaranteed way to ensure SMALLER turnouts: Divide the population. Pitch people against each other so that some get angry and then won’t show up when there is a march or protest somewhere. Blocking a bridge DIVIDES people. It does not make those who are disrupted want to come out to the next protest and to support it.

            You want large turnouts? UNITE people behind the idea.

          • MarcG 10:17 on 2023-11-18 Permalink

            The Canadian government can do a lot more than make “angry sounds” at Israel. In fact, they are currently and have historically done the opposite:

            “On Oct. 27, Canada abstained on a motion calling for a sustained humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, and last week, it joined Israel and the U.S. in voting down a motion about Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

            Canada was also among only four states that rejected a different motion last week calling on Israel to stop impeding the work of the UN agency that conducts humanitarian efforts for Palestinians, and it also rejected a motion affirming the property rights of Arabs inside Israel.” (ref)

          • MarcG 10:20 on 2023-11-18 Permalink

            Also, I don’t understand how you think that your intuitive opinion is superior to the results of academic study.

          • Blork 13:05 on 2023-11-18 Permalink

            Ok, we’re on page 2 now, so nobody’s looking, but I just want to throw this one out there. First, I am not 100% convinced I’m right (nor am I ever so convinced). But the “study” from The Guardian doesn’t sway me, for two reasons.

            First, its focus is on social movements. Protesting a war half a world away isn’t a social movement. Things that affect local people, like social housing, funding of public transit, etc. are social movements that can definitely be swayed by disruptive protests. But a foreign war is more abstract. I’m not convinced the dynamics are the same.

            Second, the study referenced isn’t really a study. It’s just a survey of opinions. “Nearly seven in 10 of academics surveyed rated disruptive protest tactics as “at least quite important” to success of a movement…” I’m sure those academics are smarter than me, but their opinions are on a different topic than the one at hand (see first item, above).

          • MarcG 13:17 on 2023-11-18 Permalink

            Their example of a social movement is climate change, which has more in common with war than social housing, in that policy decisions made by governments have outcomes not only domestically but globally. The Canadian government has influence on what is happening in Israel-Palestine and protests in Canada, despite being “half a world away”, can influence their decisions.

        c
        Compose new post
        j
        Next post/Next comment
        k
        Previous post/Previous comment
        r
        Reply
        e
        Edit
        o
        Show/Hide comments
        t
        Go to top
        l
        Go to login
        h
        Show/Hide help
        shift + esc
        Cancel